Chris Engel

Period 3
10/23/15
Railway Technology and Transportation
Railway technology is currently on the rise everywhere. Everywhere but the U.S. The
U.S. is not working on making better railway systems across the country. We still have old
technology that is failing and doesn't meet the standards that other countries have around the
world. A lot of new, effective technology has been invented and it isn't being utilized in the U.S.
for the greater good of the people. I would like to propose that we look into creating a country
wide bullet train system like other countries have because we do not have enough railways
across the U.S., current railways are ancient, and some trains do not meet safety standards that
we have today.
Many other countries have a bullet train system that transports passengers quickly and
efficiently across the land. The US does have amtrak, but amtrak is an old system that is not
anywhere near as efficient as bullet trains in Japan or China or Europe. Bullet trains in those
countries stretch across the land, leading to many major and popular places that people would
stop. They are made to be comfortable and they can be extremely efficient and cost effective for
the passengers. Many people use the non-efficient Amtrak. Amtrak enjoyed its strongest year
since its inception with ridership growing to 31.2 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2012, a 3.5%
increase over the previous year, with July 2012 representing the single best month in Amtrak
history. Overall ridership on commuter, light and heavy rail grew by 72% over the period from
1995 to 2008 and U.S. cities have added 29 new light rail and 20 new commuter rail systems in
the last three decades. (Rail Report) If electric bullet trains are used, it can help save the

environment, compared to the fuel guzzling planes that people normally use to travel. The US is
trying to improve the technology with The Recovery Act.The Recovery Act directly tackles
such issues with a multi-pronged approach -- investing in technologies that will make
alternatively powered vehicles cheaper, technologies that will make an alternative energy vehicle
reality structurally feasible, and a high-speed rail network that will reduce travel time.
( Modernizing Transportation). These trains can allow all kinds of travel from major cities to
other major cities, and it is affordable. In an effort to make something happen, the government
has given grants to railroad companies in the US. On November 7, 2013, FRA issued a Notice
of Funding Availability of $550,000 for Railroad Safety Technology Grants (Railroad Safety
Technology Grants). This results in profits for all on top of convenience for all.
Current railways are extremely old and can use a nationwide upgrade. Trains in the US
havent really evolved with the technology that is available and used around the world. Though
the current steps appear laudable, to date the US has no clear-cut policy on HSR development.
Current efforts are very ad hoc at both the federal and state levels and lack clearly defined goals.
Given that HSR projects are multibillion-dollar initiatives that require substantial lead times from
planning through completion, a more structured and long-term policy framework with clearly
defined goals and a stable source of funding is needed (Advancing High Speed Rail Policy in
the United States). Bullet train technology is ready and available to use, but there is no
infrastructure to actually use them on. There was a time when people used trains to travel
everywhere and transport goods. If that was possible 100 years ago, we can create a more
advanced railway system. If people used trains to go everywhere before, people would be happy
to travel by rail now; being faster, cheaper, and more efficient. On top of that, transportation of
goods can be improved greatly if rail infrastructure is improved, benefiting corporations that rely

on the movement of these goods significantly. Public agencies, as the primary buyers of new
rail cars and equipment, can use their power as smart buyers to support demand driven
innovation strategies. Looking to tap unutilized capacity in the existing manufacturing sector
through supplier scouting efforts, investing in supply chain connectivity, and leveraging ongoing
efforts to develop a more competitive manufacturing workforce can all aid the domestic rail
industrys competitiveness. Examples from overseas present a variety of strategies that can
accomplish these goals(Rail Report). Many things need to be done to the transportation system
for the benefit of the people.
Many of the railway technology in the US has been around for about 50 years. The most
notable problem that old technology causes is the explosions from old railway oil cars. 2.8
million gallons of crude oil had been released due to accidents involving the old tanks according
to the national transportation safety board (Rail Accidents involving crude oil and Ethanol
Releases). The safety standards 50 years ago is much different from now, so these oil cars can
explode. Such unsafe technology needs to be replaced with modern, reliable technology. On top
of that, because of ol technology, collisions with vehicles occur as well. Last year,
approximately 270 people died in highway-rail collisions that were largely preventable.
(Google, FRA team up for safety). Currently the nations rails need approximately $2 billion to
fully implement positive train control but Congress has only allocated $50 million. (23 Senators
Call for Increased Funding For Positive Train Control Technology That Could Prevent Future
Derailments). An effort has to be made to protect people and protect the environment.
This bill comes with a few problems that I would like to address. The first problem is the
fact that a very large workforce will be required in order to build this. This problem is not exactly
a problem, as it is capable of providing many jobs. Focusing only on direct demand created by

the HSR project, we estimate total workforce demand at 256,092 direct jobs (in PY) over the life
of the project, from the 2009-2025, according to the projections of the 2009 Business Plan (BP)
(see figure 5). We use PY as the unit of measure to uniformly estimate personnel across years of
the project (Estimating Workforce development Needs for High Speed Rail in California). But
this brings up another problem, which is the cost. This would require billions of dollars to
complete, but in the end, the result will be about 25% increase in profits due to efficiency of the
new infrastructure and a step towards protecting the environment (Rail Report). With money and
workforce, there is one last problem; time. This project will take about an estimate of 10 to 20
years to complete, which is enough time for new technology to become available (Rail Report).
This doesnt mean anything, as technology will be ever changing and waiting until technology
gets better would mean that you will be waiting forever while the old technology that is in use
gets older. This results in low efficiency, safety hazards, and repair costs that can be prevented by
getting newer infrastructure.
Now is the time to improve the railway technology in the US. The old infrastructure
should be replaced for the good of the future. It will benefit all people in the US, adding a
practical way of transportation for long distance that was once the main form of transportation
100 years ago. An upgrade in transportation means profits for companies and less upkeep costs
for the new trains. All that has to be done is planning the rails and preparing the technology,
getting money, getting workers, and starting the project.
Works Cited

"23 Senators Call for Increased Funding For Positive Train Control Technology That
Could Prevent Future Derailments." Sen. Bob Casey. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

<http://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/-23-senators-call-for-increasedfunding-for-positive-train-control-technology-that-could-prevent-future-derailments>.
"Estimating Workforce Development Needs for High Speed Railways in California."
(n.d.): n. pag. Web. <http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44400/44428/1027-california-highspeed-rail-workforce-needs.pdf>.
"Forum: Rail Safety: Transportation of Crude Oil and Ethanol." Forum: Rail Safety:
Transportation of Crude Oil and Ethanol. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
<http://app.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/railsafetyforum/presentations/Opening
%20Presentation%20Rail%20Accidents%20Involving%20Crude%20Oil%20and
%20Ethanol%20Releases.pdf>.

"Google, FRA Team up for Safety; Will Add Rail Crossing Data to Maps." Department of
Transportation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.transportation.gov/fastlane/fra-google-team-to-incorporate-rail-data-inmaps>.
"Advancing High Speed Rail Policy in the United States." Journal of Transportation
Engineering J. Transp. Eng. 111.2 (1985): 79-94. Web.
<http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45100/45193/2905-US-hsr-high-speed-railpolicy.pdf>

"Modernizing Transportation: Investments in Advanced Vehicle Technology and High

Speed Rail." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/recovery/innovations/modernizing-transportation>.
"Rail Report." (n.d.): n. pag. Rail Report. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.nist.gov/mep/upload/Rail-Report.pdf>.
"Railroad Safety Technology Grants." Railroad Safety Technology Grants. N.p., n.d. Web.
02 Nov. 2015. <https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0246>.